I love this. I think it's the kind of development in the "background" that sets this club up for the future and a massive credit to the club's management and buying strategy.

Next season the U23's will be playing the very best and this will only help to get the next wave up to standard quicker.

a point from the villa game on fri and the lads win the league

U23 PL2 standard is poor, PL1 will sort the wheat from the chaff. I am sure we will go up and then we will see how many can make it. Right now it is hard to judge. Next year it will be easier, as there will be no easy games and other clubs U23s have "superstars in the making" in their teams.

Leeds United Under-23s play a huge game tonight as they visit the Bodymoor Heath Training Ground to play Aston Villa.

And the brilliant news is that Leeds have confirmed that the game will be streamed for free on LUTV.

Cannot wait to watch game! Need my fix of LUFC!

U23s 1-0 up with great free kick fro Greenwood. Geldhart then misses a pen a few mins later. Good free flowing end to end game. Villa playing with man mountains first team players Hause at the back and Wesley up top. No Leeds player standing out but all playing well.

Good to see Forshaw back too.

2md hald awaits!

Jenkins makes it 2 with a well worked team goal

Is Aaron Ramsey still on the pitch

Not Aaron, some young guy that has played for the Villa first team this year few times

Cresswell sent off with 15 mins to go!

Well they young boy Ramsey is called Aaron! Just scored with a free kick so it is now 2-1 with 5 mins to go

CHAMPIONS OF PL2!!!!

Great news. After a slow beginning to the season, as I remember it, our young lads have basically beaten whoever has been in front of them. Greenwood‘s wonderful freekick goals is something special. Hopefully a few of the youngsters like Drameh, Greenwood or Gelhardt will be regulars in the first team in the seasons to come. MOT

And not forgetting Summerville who is excellent. Less showy than Poveda but a bigger talent in my eyes

Drameh is the guy I think can make it next year followed by Creswell. Geldhart and Greenwood may get a few games and Summerville is a real talent. Leif seems to have gone backwards though

As a reward, it would be great to see some of them feature in the remaining league games. Top effort boys.

That young Forshaw looked useful.

Greenwood obviously has a great free-kick on him.

Reminds me of the way Beckham used to take his. Has decent left foot too.

Geldhardt look a real prospect, missed a pen, but has great close control & skill. Uses his body really well, has defenders thinking i've closed him down, he can't go anywhere and yet he glides away from them even when there's very little space to do it.

Summerville & Drameh also look like they've got more than enough in their locker to become premiership players.

Good to see Forshaw back, no doubt he'll feel like an old bloke today.

Looked to moving and running freely enough, not holding back and making tackles.

Never expected him to return to playing football, → speaks volumes for his character and determination.

Forshaw is going to be interesting for next season. Clearly as he hasn't been pensioned off to another team, the heirarchy have plans for him. Do they see him as cover for Phillips?. I would imagine that he will get a game in the first team before the end of the season and assuming he has a good pre-season, possibly presents Bielsa with another headache!.

The alternative is that they are getting him fit and ready for sale.

Great news for the academy structure as a whole. There's a big gap between the 2 leagues, I can't wait to see how the squad measure up to the likes of man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City etc. These teams use the U23's like we do to rehabilitate 1st team players.